Let the light shine in

ABU DHABI --- An emergency power plant, provided by the United Arab Emirates for the city of Aden as part of humanitarian aid, is up and running to light up most neighbourhoods destroyed by the Houthi rebels and the militia loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, Director of Aden Electricity Authority, Aref Al Shauibi, said.

The Yemeni official thanked the United Arab Emirates for "Bringing light back to the city which has long suffered from darkness inflicted by the obscurant."

In a statement to the Abu Dhabi-based Arabic newspaper Al Ittihad, Al Shuaibi said that 52 megawatts from the 60-megawatt power plant provided by the Emirates Red Crescent are used to serve most households in the war-damaged areas in the city.

The cost of new power generators and the restoration of the grid in Aden stands at more than AED217 million all of which were provided by the United Arab Emirates, he said.

However, Al Shuaibi noted, the emergency power plant in Aden was not the only help extended by United Arab Emirates to restore electricity to the city. An additional capacity of 60 megawatts from an APR Energy plant is feeding the grid in Al Tawahi area and Jabal Hadid area. Special spare parts for the main power stations in Aden will be available within days fore restoring the grid, he said.

"Emirati brothers are working to restore power to the whole city ahead of summer. A team from Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority will visit Aden to assess the needs and prepare a full report on the situation," Al Shuaibi added.

In the same context, Awadh Mashbah, Director of the Administration of Khour Maksar City, said the United Arab Emirates provided the city with 40 megawatts of electricity and helped re-open the Al Jumhouriya Hospital, the largest in Aden province.

The 200-bed hospital was restored and fully-equipped by the United Arab Emirates within two weeks to serve Yemenis.

In addition, four schools, a kindergarten and a police station damaged by the Houthi rebels' were restored to help restore stability and security in the city, Mashbah added.